Arizona is bringing a quarterback to Pullman who already owns the school’s passing record, and Noah Fifita arrives with momentum after putting his name in another line of the Wildcats’ history books.
Last Saturday in Tucson, Fifita completed 31 of 34 passes for 325 yards and accounted for five total touchdowns in Arizona’s 42-17 comeback win over winless Northern Illinois. His 7-yard completion to Isaiah Mizell in the fourth quarter pushed him past Super Bowl-winning quarterback Nick Foles and into first place on the program’s career passing list with 10,017 yards. Foles had held the mark at 10,011 since 2011.
"We came out for that last drive, and somebody said he was 2 yards from the record," Brennan told reporters in his post-game press conference. "I just felt as a program we owe it to him to give him a chance to do that here."
Fifita’s performance was as efficient as it was explosive. He threw four touchdown passes, bringing his school-record total to 80, and connected with 11 different receivers. Arizona needed every bit of that distribution after spotting Northern Illinois a 10-0 lead before storming back.
The scoring barrage featured a little of everything. Spivey’s one-handed 10-yard touchdown grab in the back of the end zone was the eye-catching finish to Arizona’s surge.
Chris Hunter added a 38-yard touchdown catch, Isaiah Mizell got his first career score on a 14-yard reception, and Tyler Powell caught a 3-yard touchdown pass to open the third quarter. Caleb Smith also chipped in with an 89-yard punt return straight up the middle for a touchdown in the first half.
Fifita’s game fits the profile of a quarterback who can stress a defense in multiple ways. His pocket poise, bouncy footwork and rocket arm were all on display against Northern Illinois, and Arizona’s playmakers kept cashing in on the chances he created.
Washington State’s defense will have to sort all of that out Saturday night in Pullman, where the Cougars have seen wildly different results against Arizona in recent trips. The Wildcats beat WSU 44-6 in their most recent visit in 2023, but the Cougars had taken the previous three meetings in Pullman by scores of 69-7 in 2016, 69-28 in 2018 and 44-18 in 2021, all from the old Pac-12 days.
Both teams are coming off lopsided home wins after slow starts last week. WSU beat FCS opponent Duquesne 48-7 for its first win of 2026, while Arizona recovered from that early 10-point deficit to beat Northern Illinois.
Brent Brennan, now in his second year leading Arizona, guided the Wildcats to one of their best seasons in 2025 with nine wins and a Holiday Bowl trip. The 53-year-old has deep ties to Dick Tomey, the winningest coach in Arizona history, dating back to his first stint in Tucson as a graduate assistant in 2000. Brennan later followed Tomey to San Jose State in 2005, then took over the Spartans as head coach in 2017 before being hired by Arizona in 2024 and extended through 2030 this offseason.
He has one previous game in Pullman as a head coach, a 31-0 loss while leading San Jose State in 2018.
One of Brennan’s associate head coaches is Joe Salave’a, who coached WSU’s defensive line from 2012-16.
Now the Cougars get a quarterback they don’t see often: a career 10,000-yard passer who’s already rewritten Arizona’s record book and just delivered another huge performance.
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